Chiaotzu
is a white-skinned, red-cheeked little being devoted to Tien. Chiaotzu's Japanese name (餃子) is a pun on the Chinese food jiaozi (called gyoza in Japanese), in line with the tradition of naming various Dragon Ball characters after foods and other oddities. Besides that, in Chinese Folklore there are ghosts called Jiang Shi (僵屍 or 殭屍). They are described as having white skin, red cheeks, and wearing an outfit from the Qing Dynasty. These ghosts cannot walk, only hop, and they always keep their arms stretched out in front of them. This all is somehow referenced by Akira Toriyama: when first encountered, Chiaotzu flies more often than walks and his attacks are executed by stretching his arms. Chaiotzu's outfit also looks very close to Qing one. Oddly, Chiaotzu is actually more clueless than Goku. Not being able to form sentences, quickly solve simple addition problems, and understand a joke, are all evidence of this. Background Compared to other Dragon Ball characters, relatively little is revealed about Chiaotzu. It is known that he was a student along with Tien of Master Shen, and he has skills that involve telepathy and Telekinesis. However, in the movie Mystical Adventure, Chiaotzu appears as the king of the Mifan Empire with Tien as his bodyguard. Although this not considered canon, at the end of the Frieza Saga, Chiaotzu is again referred to as "Emperor Chiaotzu" by the narrator in the English anime. In the game Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2, Chiaotzu's history says that he is a member of a military family, it is also unclear whether or not this is to be considered canonical, as well. He makes cameo appearances in Dragon Ball GT in episodes 40, "Piccolo's Decision" and 64, "Until We Meet Again...". Chiaotzu is apparently human, with a few different traits than most characters in the series such as plain white skin and red cheeks. He looks more like a doll than a human, and never seems to grow or age physically. Some fans believe that Chiaotzu is based on Chinese vampires or the Kyonshi. He has a single strand of hair on his head under his hat. History ''Dragon Ball'' Tien Shinhan Saga Chiaotzu is first introduced to the series at the 22nd World Martial Arts Tournament during the Tien Shinhan Saga. He is a student of the Master Shen, who enters him along with Tien in order to represent the Crane School of martial arts and defeat the students of his rival, the Turtle Hermit Master Roshi. At Tien’s request, Chiaotzu uses his mental powers to fix the ordering of the matches in the quarter-finals. Chiaotzu decides to put himself up against Krillin, who is representing Master Shen's rival Master Roshi's Turtle School, and whom he had been exchanging petty insults with since the start of the tournament. As the quarter-final match begins, Chaiotzu and Krillin battle at an even pace, until Krillin starts to edge him out of the ring. Noticing this, Chiaotzu levitates high into the air and begins firing multiple Dodon Rays at Krillin. After Tien informs Master Shen that his brother, Mercenary Tao, faced defeat at the hands of Turtle student Goku, Chiaotzu was ordered to kill Krillin at once by using a Super Dodon Blast. After Krillin avoids this attack and hits Chiaotzu with a Kamehameha, Chiaotzu uses his Telekinesis technique to attack Krillin’s internal organs. He eventually loses his match via KO when Krillin confuses him with simple math problems and punches him out of the arena after breaking free from Chiaotzu’s move. During Tien’s match with Goku in the final round, Chiaotzu is ordered by Master Shen to use his psychic abilities to constantly paralyze Goku during the match. Eventually discovering this, Tien demands that Chiaotzu must stop since he wants a fair match. After Tien refuses to kill Goku and rejects the path of an assassin, an infuriated Master Shen orders Chiaotzu to kill both Tien and Goku. Chiaotzu refuses, as he wants to see how the tournament ends, and Tien is fighting at his best. The Crane Hermit then grabs Chiaotzu and threatens to kill him instead. Master Roshi puts an end to this by blasting Master Shen out of the stadium with a Kamahameha, thus saving Chiaotzu and allowing Tien and Goku to continue their match. After the match ends and Tien is declared the winner of the 22nd World Martial Arts Tournament, Roshi offers to let Chiaotzu and Tien stay at the Kame House. Tien declines the offer, stating that he and Chiaotzu cannot follow the teachings of another, even if they have both betrayed their master. King Piccolo Saga The good mood is short-lived however, as Turtle student Krillin is unexpectedly killed while separated momentarily from the group. Along with his body there was note with the character (demon) on it. Master Roshi tells everyone that it represents an incredibly powerful Demon King, King Piccolo, who was sealed away inside an electric rice cooker centuries ago by Master Roshi's and Master Shen’s old master by using the suicidal Evil Containment Wave technique, but is now apparently free again. On hearing this, Goku, still not fully recovered from his battle with Tien, rushes off to seek revenge. Realizing the gravity of the situation, Chiaotzu and Tien volunteer to help in anyway they can. They are informed of the seven Dragon Balls, which when collected summon Shenron, a mystical dragon that can grant any wish. Along with Master Roshi, they venture out on a desperate quest to retrieve them in order to have the Dragon revive Krillin. After finding several of them, their radar which tells them the Dragon Balls locations, shows them that the remaining ones are actually coming towards them, meaning King Piccolo is also seeking the Dragon Balls and is coming for theirs. Before King Piccolo can confront them, Master Roshi unexpectedly knocks Tien out and hides him in a cave. He then afterwards tells Chiaotzu that there has been a change of plans, and to refrain from jumping in the fight and to remain hidden, whatever happens. Master Roshi plans on using the Evil Containment Wave against King Piccolo, since Goku is thought to have already been killed. Chiaotzu, along with a semi-conscious Tien, can do nothing but witnesses Master Roshi's ultimately unsuccessful stand against the powerful Demon King. King Piccolo wastes no time joining the Dragon Balls together to summon the Dragon and Chiaotzu is ordered desperately by Tien to quickly make a wish to destroy King Piccolo before the Demon King can make one himself. Chiaotzu appears from the shadows and attempts to change the wish, but he is quickly killed mid-sentence from a blast by King Piccolo, an act Tien can only watch. King Piccolo continues to make his wish and then destroys the Dragon afterwards, knowing it's the only thing that can stop him. After Goku manages to defeat King Piccolo, Chiaotzu was later wished back to life by Bulma and company, after Goku convinced Kami to bring Shenron back to life, thus reviving the Dragon Balls. Piccolo Jr. Saga Chiaotzu then trains with Tien, Yamcha and the newly resurrected Krillin until they are informed by Master Roshi that, to be able to compete with Goku, they are going to need to find better ways to train than are available at the Kame House. They all head to Korin's Tower and train with Korin before each going their own separate way. Three years after King Piccolo's defeat, Chiaotzu, along with Tien, Krillin and Yamcha, return to compete in the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament. He, as well as the rest of the group, is rather surprised to see the now teenaged Goku and looks forward to the upcoming fights. When the lots are drawn up to determine the order of the fights, Chiaotzu carries out Tien’s request to manipulate the cards so that none of the group (Tien, Yamcha, Goku, Chiaotzu and Krillin) or Piccolo Jr. fight each other in the preliminaries. The early matches seem to be going as usual, with the group quickly dispatching their opponents. Tien then receives a horrible sense of something happening to Chiaotzu. He races to the scene and finds Chiaotzu heavily wounded and unconscious, his opponent turning out to be the now cybernetically-enhanced Mercenary Tao. Mercenary Tao explains that after his seeming death by Goku, he was rebuilt into the half-man half-machine before them, and had returned to take revenge on Tien and Chiaotzu for disgracing the Crane School, and Goku for defeating him before. Chiaotzu had suffered serious injuries, but was treated at the nearby hospital and later rejoined Tien after Goku defeated Piccolo Jr.. ''Dragon Ball Z'' Vegeta Saga After learning that Goku sacrificed his life to defeat Raditz, Chiaotzu is summoned along with Tien, Krillin, Yamcha and Yajirobe to train at Kami's Lookout for the battle against Vegeta and Nappa. After completing Kami's training he then continues to train with Tien until the Saiyans arrive on Earth. As Tien and Chiaotzu make their way to the battlefield, Tien requests that Chiaotzu stays behind. Insisting that he too has trained hard, thus earning his right to participate in the fight, Chiaotzu refuses and continues with Tien along to the battlefield. Both Chiaotzu and Tien arrive at the battlefield prior to the fight beginning, but just before Yamcha does. Despite the Z Fighters agreeing with Vegeta to challenge the Saibamen one at a time, Chiaotzu and Gohan don’t get their chance to take on any of the Saibamen. After Yamcha is killed by a self-destructing Saibaman, and the remaining Saibamen were destroyed by Krillin and Piccolo, Nappa decides to challenge the Z-Fighters himself. Whilst he powers himself up, Chiaotzu attempts to use his Telekinesis attack on Nappa, but he proves too strong for the attack to have any effect. As Nappa finishes powering up, he charges at Tien and proceeds to cut off his left arm. Chiaotzu is horrified, as he sees the mighty Saiyan brutally attacking his best friend before his eyes. After Krillin recovers from the aftershock of a huge energy attack from Nappa, he looks around in fear that Chaiotzu was taken out by the blast. Vegeta tells Nappa to look behind him, as Chiaotzu latches himself upon Nappa’s back, thus making himself a living bomb. The gigantic Saiyan struggles to remove him. After Chiaotzu telepathically says goodbye to Tien, he detonates and kills himself, in a hopeful attempt to save his friends. However, Nappa surprises the Z-Fighters by smugly reappearing from the smoke unfazed, and with little damage being done to him. Tien and Krillin are then left in anger at the fact that Chiaotzu’s attack didn't faze Nappa at all, and thus Chiaotzu’s suicide attack was in vain. Namek Saga Because of the influence of Kami, after he perished, Chiaotzu’s body was regenerated by Kami and was allowed to train on King Kai's Planet as Goku did earlier. Joining him were the other warriors who perished in the battle with the Saiyans: Tien, Piccolo and Yamcha. Frieza Saga With Tien and Yamcha, Chiaotzu remains on King Kai's planet and learns of Goku’s and everyone else’s (Piccolo fused with Nail, Vegeta, Krillin, Gohan and Dende) mighty struggle with the evil tyrant Frieza on the Planet Namek. He is eventually wished back to life a second time along with Tien by a wish made to Porunga. Trunks Saga After returning to Earth, Chiaotzu and Tien go into solitude, training in the mountains. They are interrupted when they sense two powerful evil chis heading towards Earth. They then fly to the location of where the chis are coming from. Both Chiaotzu and Tien are surprised to find Vegeta (who was somewhat reformed during the crisis on Namek and now resides on Earth with Bulma) and the other Z Fighters who inform them that the ki they are detecting is Frieza, who somehow survived. When Frieza does land, he is quickly dispatched by an unknown mysterious youth (Future Trunks). Piccolo, overhearing the youth’s private conversation with Goku, tells everyone the warning that two incredibly powerful Androids will attack in three years. Androids Saga thumb|right|150px|Chiaotzu in the [[Android Saga of Dragon Ball Z]] This is the main point where Chiaotzu makes a noticeably huge lack of appearance as the series progresses further. Chiaotzu now usually stays in the background, mostly either training with Tien in the frozen northern wastes, or at the Kame House with Master Roshi, Puar and Oolong. After the three years had passed, the rest of the Z-Fighters appear to the location where the androids would soon show up. Tien tells the others that Chiaotzu did indeed train with him for the arrival of the androids, but thought it was best to leave him behind, as he wouldn’t have been able to keep up in the battle. Cell Games Saga Chiaotzu later appears in a panel in Dragon Ball Z manga vol. 14 (Dragon Ball vol. 30), in which appears to be in a training area where he and Tien sense Cell’s chi. He also doesn’t appear in the Cell Games with the others, or the fight with the Cell Juniors. Majin Buu Saga Whilst he makes a few more appearances in the manga, (and many more short ones in the anime), he loses a lot of his importance, like many of the original Z Fighters near the end of the series. Fusion Saga He is shown alongside Tien training in the mountains. It is also shown that he and Tien survive Super Buu's Human Extinction attack, as they examine the small craters left behind by Super Buu's attack. Kid Buu Saga He is killed along with Tien when Kid Buu blows up the earth, and is later wished back along with everyone else. Afterwards, he and Tien later give their energy to Goku's Spirit Bomb so that he can destroy Kid Buu. Dragon Ball GT Chiaotzu makes only two cameo appearances in Dragon Ball GT. Special abilities ;Levitate :This is the ability to fly using one's ki. Chiaotzu appears to have no trouble controlling his energy and is able to float in the air for longer periods of time than most others. ;Psychokinesis :Chiaotzu can manipulate objects in his environment through mental power. He uses this technique at Tien's request to rearrange the number tags at the 22nd and 23rd Tenkaichi Budokai tournaments in order to study their opponent's fighting styles. ;Telekinesis :This is a technique Chiaotzu uses on opponents that are not too strong for him to control, and also for training with sparring partners. The effects on opponents include paralysis, and also directly attacking their internal organs, as revealed in both the manga and the anime. ;Dodon Ray :One of the best techniques of Master Shen (master of Tien and Chiaotzu). It is a powerful energy beam shot from a finger that is more powerful than a normal Kamehameha. ;Super Dodon Blast :This technique is a stronger version of the Dodon Ray, but requires the user to charge it up. Chiaotzu uses this in his match against Krillin after Master Shen orders him to kill Krillin during the match. ;Drill attack :Chiaotzu is able to spin rapidly and launch himself headfirst at his opponent. He uses this attack several times against Krillin in the 22nd World Martial Arts Tournament Saga. This is an anime only move. ;Self Destruction :A suicide attack where the Chiaotzu makes himself a living bomb. He uses this technique on Nappa in a desperate attempt to kill him, but Nappa survives. Its name come from the Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi series and is his Ultimate Blast. Video games Chiaotzu is a playable character in the games Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2, and ''Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3. He is also in Dragon Ball Z: Legend of the Super Saiyan. Chiaotzu is also a playable character and a boss in Dragon Ball: Advanced Adventure. Chiaotzu also appears as a one-line character in cutscenes for some Dragon Ball video games, such as Dragon Ball Z: Budokai and Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 3. Notes and references Trivia * In the original Japanese versions of the manga and anime, Chiaotzu has a tendency to refer to Tien as "Mr. Tien", displaying both familiarity and respect. This habit was kept for the U.S. English version of the manga, but is somewhat downplayed in the U.S. anime dub, where his name is shortened to "Tien" and used in this manner by most every character. * In the alternate timeline, Chiaotzu is killed by the Androids. Whilst a scene of him being killed is not shown in the anime or The History of Trunks TV special, Future Trunks states in both the manga and anime that Chiaotzu did indeed fight against the androids with the other remaining Z-Fighters and had been killed alongside them. * Interestingly, despite Mystical Adventure being non-canon, the Narrator actually referred to him as "The Young Emperor Chiaotzu" when he was revived in Goku's Alive!!. Category:Characters who can fly Category:Humans Category:Z Fighters Category:Villains Category:Tournament Fighters